Facebook. Can’t live with it. Can’t live without it. As a writer, having social presence is a must and Facebook, being the number one social networking site in the world, should be an intricate part of that presence.

Before going any further, I thought I’d share a few interesting facts about Facebook so you can see how powerful it is:

One in every nine people on Earth is on Facebook ( This number is calculated by dividing the planets 6.94 billion people by Facebook’s 750 million users).

People spend 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.

Each Facebook user spends on average 15 hours and 33 minutes a month on the site.

More than 250 million people access Facebook through their mobile devices.

More than 2.5 million websites have integrated with Facebook.

30 billion pieces of content is shared on Facebook each month.

300,000 users helped translate Facebook into 70 languages.

People on Facebook install 20 million “Apps” every day.

Over the new few weeks I’m going to explore some of the great features of Facebook, go over their differences and similarities, and explain what they do. But before we go there, I first need to share the Facebook glossary[1] so you’ll be familiar with some of the verbiage I’ll be using:

Account settings. Located in the top right corner under the drop-down arrow. Use your account settings to manage basic account preferences. You can edit your name or email info, change your notifications preferences, turn on extra security features and more.

Activity log. Your activity log is a tool that lets you review and manage everything you share on Facebook. Only you can see your activity log.

Admin. Admins are people who create and manage activity in groups and pages.

Audience selector. Your audience selector lets you choose who can see what you post, every time you post.

Badge. A badge is a box you can create to share your Facebook profile (Timeline), photos or Page on other websites.

Block. You can block someone from seeing your profile, adding you as a friend, and sending you messages. Blocked also can mean that Facebook has temporarily restricted you from using a specific feature or multiple features, but you can still access your account.

Chat. Chat is a feature that lets you send instant messages to online friends.

Cover photo. Your cover photo is the large picture at the top of your timeline, right above your profile picture.

Credits. Credits are Facebook’s virtual currency that you can use to engage with games and apps.

Events. Events is a feature that lets your organize gatherings, respond to invites, and keep up with what your friends are doing.

Facebook Exporter for iPhoto. Facebook Exporter for iPhoto is an add-on you can download to make sharing photos and photo albums on Facebook easier from your Mac.

Facebook Questions. Facebook Questions is a feature that lets you get recommendations, conduct polls and learn from your friends and other people on Facebook.

Family Safety Center. Visit the Family Safety Center to find the information, tools and resources you need to stay safe online.

Friend. Friends are people you connect and share with on Facebook.

Friendship page. A friendship page shows a friendship history between two friends on Facebook. Try it: Visit a friend’s profile (timeline), open the gear menu in the top-right corner and select See Friendship.

Games and apps. The games and apps you use on Facebook are created by outside developers on the Facebook Platform.

Group. Groups are close circles of people that share and keep in touch on Facebook.

Home. Link located in the top right corner. It is the default page accessed by Facebook when you log in.

Instant personalization. Instant personalization makes a few select websites more useful by letting you bring your friends and interests with you when you visit.

Like. Clicking Like is a way to give positive feedback and connect with things you care about.

Link. You can share a link from the web on Facebook.

Lists. Lists are an optional way to organize your friends on Facebook.

Login approvals. Login approvals is a security feature you can turn on in your security settings. When you turn on login approvals, you’ll be prompted to enter a security code each time you try to access your Facebook account from an unrecognized device (ex: any computer or mobile phone you haven’t named and saved to your Facebook account).

Login notifications. Login notifications is a security feature you can turn on in your security settings. When you turn on login notifications, alerts are sent to you each time your account is accessed from a new device.

Messages. Messages is a central place to exchange private messages, chats, emails and mobile texts with friends.

Mobile texts. You can receive and respond to notifications through text messages (SMS) on your phone.

Networks. Networks are affiliations with schools or workplaces on Facebook.

News feed. Your news feed is the ongoing list of updates on your home page that shows you what’s new with the friends and pages you follow.

Notes. Notes is a feature that lets you publish what’s on your mind in a full rich format.

Notifications. Notifications are email, onsite, or mobile updates about activity on Facebook.

Page. Pages allow businesses, brands, and celebrities to connect with people on Facebook. Admins can post information and News Feed updates to people who like their pages.

Photos. Photos is a feature that lets you share images and tag the people in them.

Places. You can share where you are with your friends by checking into places. You can also find friends nearby.

Poke. You can poke someone to get their attention or say hello.

Privacy settings. Your privacy settings let you manage basic privacy preferences, such as who can send you friend requests and messages. For everything else that you share on Facebook, you can choose your audience right when you post.

Profile. Your profile (Timeline) is a complete picture of yourself on Facebook.

Profile picture. Your profile picture is the main photo of you on your profile (timeline). Your profile picture appears as a thumbnail next to your comments and other activity around Facebook.

Search. Search is a tool to find people and content on Facebook.

Social plugins. Social plugins are tools that other websites can use to provide people with personalized and social experiences. When you interact with social plugins, you share your experiences off Facebook with your friends on Facebook.

Subscribe. Subscribe is a way to hear from people you’re interested in, even if you’re not friends. The Subscribe button is also a way to fine-tune your News Feed to get the types of updates you want to see.

Tagging. A tag links a person, page, or place to something you post, like a status update or a photo. For example, you can tag a photo to say who’s in the photo or post a status update and say who you’re with.

Ticker. Ticker, on the right-hand side of your home page, lets you see all your friends’ activity in real-time.

Timeline. Your timeline is your collection of the photos, stories, and experiences that tell your story.

Top story. Your top stories are stories published since you last checked News Feed that we think you’ll find interesting. They’re marked with a blue corner and may be different depending on how long it’s been since you last visited your News Feed.

Typeahead. A typeahead is a dropdown menu that appears when you’re searching for something. It guesses what you’re searching for so you can find it faster. If you see what you’re looking for in the typeahead, click on it to save time. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, click “See more results.”

Wall. Your Wall is the space on your profile where you and friends can post and share.

Video. Upload short videos to share your experiences.

Video calling. Video calling is a feature that lets you to talk to your friends face to face.

* * * * * * * *

Now that you’re all set with Facebook terminology, we’ll be able to talk details.

Next week: All About Facebook – Part 2: Timeline, Group Page, Page, or All the Above?

Wow! I had no idea there was that much to this site. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t figure out what’s the big deal about FB. I don’t understand how to use it to its fullest potential. I’m definitely going to save this glossary, and I’m looking forward to nex week’s installment. 🙂 Thank you so much fot tackling this topic for people like me who are FB challenged!